PRO FOOTBALL

PRO FOOTBALL; Reversal of Fortune at Jets' Expense

By JUDY BATTISTA

Published: October 30, 2000

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y., Oct. 29—
The Jets have reached deep into their stash of magic dust this season. They sprinkled it liberally over four fourth-quarter comeback victories and buried the Dolphins with it last Monday night.

When the Jets went for another handful today, they came up empty.

The Buffalo Bills made sure there would be no chance for another Jets stunner when Steve Christie kicked a field goal as time ran out to give Buffalo a 23-20 victory.

Midway through the regular season, the Jets are 6-2 and still in a three-way tie with Indianapolis and Miami for first place in the American Football Conference East. But their glossy finish has been stripped, exposing flaws that made their string of comebacks necessary.

''We couldn't keep putting ourselves in situations where we had to come back in the fourth quarter,'' strong safety Victor Green said. ''We couldn't make the miracle run.''

The Jets came awfully close, erasing three deficits. The score was tied at 20-20 with 2 minutes 20 seconds left, forcing the Bills to march 57 yards on their final drive of the game to win.

Jets quarterback Vinny Testaverde, who again endured a miserable first half with two interceptions -- one was returned for a touchdown -- and a fumble at the Bills' 10-yard line near the end of the first half, chose to look on the bright side.

''We played more consistently than we have on offense except for the four turnovers,'' Testaverde said. ''The thing for us is not to be down on ourselves. We played a pretty good team down to the wire with a lot of mistakes. We have to think, 'If we don't make those mistakes, we give ourselves a better chance.' ''

The Jets were largely able to contain Bills quarterback Doug Flutie, who was filling in for the injured Rob Johnson, by keeping him in the pocket and eliminating his biggest weapon -- his ability to run. The Jets batted down four of his passes.

But Flutie made several crucial plays, particularly late in the game, that will resume the debate in Buffalo about whether he should be the starting quarterback.

On the Bills' first scoring drive, Flutie picked at the Jets' secondary, which has been a source of concern because of its propensity for yielding big plays.

On third-and-16 from the Buffalo 39, Bills receiver Jeremy McDaniel slipped past nickel back Ray Mickens as Flutie, under pressure, delivered a 28-yard pass over the middle.

Two plays later, Mickens was beaten again when Flutie, on second-and-12, found receiver Eric Moulds (6 receptions for 137 yards) near the right sideline for 23 yards. Fullback Sammy Morris scored on a dive over the top to give Buffalo a 7-0 lead.

But on their third drive of the game, the Jets went to the empty backfield offense that has been so successful for them late in games. The Buffalo defense stuffed the running game, holding Curtis Martin to a season-low 46 yards.

That forced the Jets to get their passing game going in a hurry. Testaverde went to his preferred receiver, Wayne Chrebet, three times in the first scoring drive and threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Fred Baxter to tie the score, 7-7, as the first quarter ended.

The second quarter, though, was a blur for the bumbling Jets, particularly for Testaverde, who has thrown five interceptions in the last two games.

On the Jets' first drive of the second quarter, a Testaverde pass intended for Laveranues Coles was intercepted by Bills safety Keion Carpenter. That turnover led to a 20-yard field goal by Christie that gave Buffalo a 10-7 lead.

Two plays after the Jets got the ball back, Testaverde saw two linebackers coming toward him. Chrebet, who was open, ran his route inside. But Testaverde, thinking Chrebet would just turn around, tried to get the ball to him, which the quarterback admitted was his mistake. The ball went by Chrebet's outside shoulder and right into the hands of Buffalo safety Henry Jones, who returned it 45 yards for a touchdown, giving Buffalo a 17-7 lead.

But things were about to get worse.

The Jets began another drive with less than five minutes left in the half and moved to Buffalo's 37-yard-line. But on second-and-2 from the Bills' 10, Testaverde stepped up in the pocket.

There, linebacker Sam Rogers dragged Testaverde down and stripped the ball, which linebacker Sam Cowart recovered. The half ended with the Jets down again, 17-7.

''I'm feeling real comfortable right now,'' said Testaverde, who finished with 28 completions in 38 attempts for 293 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. ''Looking back and not making excuses, the one to Laveranues slipped a little bit, the one to Wayne was a bad read on my part. I should have gone outside. Aside from those situations, you feel like you have it.''

Testaverde's enigmatic performances this season have led him to say that the fourth quarter, in which he has led the Jets' heroic rallies, belongs to him.

This time, it was the third quarter. The Jets' defense stifled the Bills on their opening drive, and Bryan Cox batted down a Flutie pass on fourth-and-3 from the Jets' 32-yard line.

With Martin nearly eliminated from any contributing role, Testaverde passed on nearly every down of the ensuing drive, moving the Jets to the Bills' 21-yard line. But when Martin was thrown for a 1-yard loss on third down, John Hall kicked a 40-yard field goal to pull the Jets within 7 points.

Again, the defense held, but the Jets' drive began at their 7-yard line. On second-and-10 from the Jets' 23, Testaverde completed a pass to Coles at the Jets' 40.

Coles, whose speed at Florida State was said to be 4.1 seconds in the 40-yard dash, crossed to the middle after the catch and finished off a 63-yard completion before being caught by Antoine Winfield at the Bills' 14. Three plays later, Testaverde completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to Chrebet to tie the score, 17-17.

The magic seemed to have returned when defensive lineman Shane Burton reached up to block a Christie field-goal attempt. But on the third play of the Jets' next drive, Martin fumbled and Cowart recovered the ball at the Bills' 47-yard line.

''I feel like a fish out of water with those feelings of paranoia, disgrace and shame,'' Martin said.

Flutie hit Moulds for a 52-yard pass down the left side and Christie kicked a 29-yard field goal to give the Bills the lead again.

With 6:14 remaining, the Jets began another drive. Testaverde completed passes to Coles of 19, 21 and 14 yards and Coles finished with 5 receptions for 131 yards.

But the drive stalled when Cowart stuffed Richie Anderson for a 5-yard loss on a screen play and the Jets settled for a 36-yard field goal to tie the score at 20-20.

But the Jets had run into a quarterback at least as determined as themselves. On third-and-10 from his own 43, Flutie completed a 17-yard pass to Peerless Price.

The Bills, with two more Flutie completions, moved to the Jets' 16-yard line. Mindful of the Jets' history, the Bills let the clock run down to 3 seconds.

Christie kicked his third field goal of the game to give the Bills the victory and the Jets were left on the unfamiliar end of a fourth-quarter comeback.

Somewhere, four past opponents must have smiled just a little.

''This is a bitter disappointment,'' Coach Al Groh said. ''Any time you lose a game, it's a bitter pill.''

Photos: A Jets drive stalled when Curtis Martin, above, was stripped of the ball in the fourth quarter. Bills receiver Eric Moulds, below, helped set up a field goal by beating Jets defender Marcus Coleman for a 52-yard catch early in the fourth quarter. (Photographs by Associated Press)(pg. D1); Buffalo's Sammy Morris, scoring a 1-yard touchdown in the first quarter, had 54 yards on 19 carries. (Associated Press)(pg. D2)